Recommendation letters - employers instead of professors?

<p>Is it possible to get all (or all but one) of your recommendations from internship employers? </p>

<p>(To clarify, I'm taking this year off from school and working. I'll be applying for transfer for the fall semester.)</p>

<p>I was extremely depressed in the last year I was at school, so I really don't feel like my professors really got to see who I was or what I was capable of. I'm sure some of my professors would be <em>willing</em> to write me recs, but since they've only known me as I was when I was depressed, I see no reason for them to care at all about doing it. </p>

<p>There's only one professor who I feel knows and respects me well enough to write a meaningful recommendation. I'm willing to ask her for one, but I would really like to have the rest of my recommendations come from my employers. I've been lucky enough to have had some awesome internship experiences in which I was given a lot of responsibility, so I feel that my employers will give a much clearer picture of who I am and what I stand for than the professors who just knew me while I was depressed. I worry that those recommendations won't be read if I just send them in as supplements. </p>

<p>Thoughts? Advice? Similar experiences? </p>

<p>Ugh, sorry if this has been repetitive. I'm just so frustrated about this.</p>

<p>Many people who have been in the workforce for a while don't have any teachers or professors to write their letters of recommendation, and must rely on letters from work supervisors and colleagues. In your case, however, since you have only been working for a year and you do have academic references from your previous education, your transfer-to schools will expect to receive letters that speak directly to your ability to perform at the college level. Usually these would come from a former instructor at your previous college/university.</p>

<p>Ask the individual admissions offices at the schools that you are applying to about just exactly how many letters of recommendation they will require, and how many of them must come from a former instructor. Ask them how many can come from your internship supervisors. Each transfer-to school will probably have different rules, so be prepared to go back to your former college/university for those other references if you need them.</p>

<p>Wishing you much good fortune in this process!</p>

<p>i think it depends on the employer...if your just working to make money (working at mcdonalds, or target or whatever) then getting a letter of rec. from your supervisor would obviously not be a good idea...if however you are doing an internship for a year it would certainly be a good idea to have a letter of rec. from the person who has been your boss for a year and can speak on your intellectual potential, creativity and other qualities that might translate back well into the university setting</p>

<p>gl</p>

<p>Usually schools are specific about what they allow for transfer admissions rec letters. If I'm not mistaken, most want recs from college professors (or instructors).</p>

<p>I would write to whatever schools you are really interested in and ask them about your situation. If an internship employer can really give an excellent picture of who you are, an exception might be able to be made.</p>